Have You Ever Wondered...

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Need to leave a note for your parents to remind them to sign your field trip permission form? Want to make a quick list of the stuff you need at the grocery store? Chances are you need some sticky notes!

Sticky notes — also known as Post-it® notes or repositionable notes — are small pieces of paper that feature a light adhesive on the back. The adhesive allows the notes to be attached to a wide variety of documents and surfaces — and removed and reattached multiple times.

Post-it® notes started out as three-inch squares that were canary yellow in color. Today, sticky notes can be found in a wide variety of sizes, shapes and colors.

People all around the world use sticky notes every day. In school, at work, and at home — everywhere you go, people have and use sticky notes all the time. Would you believe that they're a wonderful invention that happened totally by accident? It's true!

No one set out to invent sticky notes. Instead, in 1968, Dr. Spencer Silver, a chemist at 3M Company, invented a unique, low-tackadhesive that would stick to things but also could be repositioned multiple times. He was trying to invent a super-strong adhesive, but he came up with a super-weak one instead.

At the time, it was a solution without a problem! Dr. Silver had a new invention, but he didn't know what to do with it. For the next five years, he promoted his new invention within 3M, but no one could think of a way to use it.

In 1974, Art Fry, a colleague of Dr. Silver's at 3M, was singing in his church choir. He became frustrated when the bookmarks he used to mark his place in his hymnal kept falling out.

He remembered Dr. Silver's adhesive and tried some on his bookmarks. It worked wonderfully! The bookmarks stayed in place, but he could move and reattach them easily without harming any of the pages. The rest, as they say, is history…

Art Fry came up with the idea of using Dr. Silver's adhesive on small notes. 3M launched the product under the name “Press 'n Peel" in 1977 in four cities. Unfortunately, it was not an immediate success.

After a successful product test in Boise, Idaho, 3M released the renamed Post-it® Notes nationwide in 1980. They soon became one of the most popular office products in the world. And that original canary yellow color? That was an accident, too! The 3M team that first developed the product used leftover canary-yellow scrap paper from a nearby laboratory.

Wonder Words (14)

Did you get it?

Wonder What's Next?

Tomorrow’s Wonder of the Day is all about the ebonies and the ivories!

Try It Out

Sticky notes are obviously good for helping you write notes for remembering things. But do they have other uses? You bet they do! Write yourself a note to remember to recruit a friend or family member to help you check out one or more of the following activities:

How creative and inventive can you be? Listed below are a few ideas for products that might have been invented accidentally with no particular purpose in mind. Can you think of a new invention that could make use of such otherwise-useless products? Be creative! You never know when your imagination might be sparked to create a new invention of your own!

Can you tell a story with a series of pictures? Using a pad of sticky notes and a set of crayons, markers or colored pencils, create a series of drawings that tells a simple story. You can come up with an original story of your own, or you can retell a story you're familiar with, such as The Three Little Pigs. You could even tell a story based upon a simple idea, like “what happened to me at school today." Have fun telling a story in pictures using sticky notes!

Ready to try your hand at some awesome sticky note moving art? Watch the videos below to learn how to make some super-cool sticky note moving artworks:

Wonderopolis

Concetta Bustamante

Jun 29, 2016

Informative writing ! I learned a lot from the facts - Does anyone know where my assistant could possibly get access to a template Adlai E. Stevenson High School Field Trip Permission Form document to complete ?

Wonderopolis

Miss Witzel's 3rd Grade Class

Feb 28, 2014

Connection: Our class uses post-it notes every time we're on wonderopolis!
Question: What makes up the adhesive?
Reaction: Our class didn't know that post-it's were an accident. We thought it was interesting that he was trying to make a strong glue. Thank you Dr. Silver!!! :)

Wonderopolis

Feb 28, 2014

Hello, Miss Witzel’s 3rd Grade Class! We are so glad that you are exploring this Wonder today! We like your connection, question, and reaction to the Wonder! We think that the actual formula for the adhesive is top-secret, so that others can't create their own post-its. The folks that make the post-its would lose money if they made the formula available to the public. But, we could try to make our own! Great WONDERing, Wonder Friends! :-)

olivia

Wonderopolis

Sep 26, 2013

Hi Olivia, we're so glad you liked this Wonder! Do you use sticky notes often? We like to stay organized by using different colors!
We have lots of favorite Wonders... here are a few:
https://www.wonderopolis.org/wonder/when-will-pigs-fly/
https://www.wonderopolis.org/wonder/pink-flamingos/
https://www.wonderopolis.org/wonder/are-you-handy-when-it-comes-to-art/ :)

Patty Keith

Wonderopolis

Nov 28, 2012

HOORAY, we're excited that our Wonder Friends in Mrs. Keith's class are here today! We like WONDERing about things that are sticky-- and useful, too! Thanks so much for sharing your awesome idea for a Wonder, too! We bet you'll enjoy this Wonder Family blog post in the meantime... https://www.wonderopolis.org/wonder-year-2012/levitating-slinky/ :)

Mr muffin

Wonderopolis

Nov 7, 2012

We bet it will take a LOT of Wonder Friends to create a cool sticky notes performance, Mr Muffin! We hope you and your friends have a fun time preparing-- but make sure you check with your teacher before you try it out! :)

Bob

Wonderopolis

Nov 7, 2012

Hey there, Bob! We're glad that our sticky note Wonder got you thinking-- it must have taken a long time to plan out the sticky note extravaganza! We are always looking for suggestions and nominations for new Wonders, so thanks for sharing yours, Bob! :)

Taylor and Molly from mrs wond...

May 11, 2012

Taylor-was wondering who invented sticky notes
Molly -I wonder how you figure out all that stuff
Taylor- was thinking what was the first wonder
Molly-I wonder how you get all those iPads
Taylor-was wondering who made wonderopolis
Molly-was wondering how you find all those videos
Taylor was thinking who was the fist comment on wonderopolis
Molly-I wonder how many sticky notes are in the world
Taylor-was wondering what was the first Color of sticky notes
Molly-I wonder how you wake up that early in the morning and wrote the wonder
Taylor was wondering what was the fist stick notes
Bye wonderoplis

Wonderopolis

May 11, 2012

WOW, Taylor and Molly! Those are some AMAZING Wonders! We can't answer all of them (we both need to do a bit more WONDERing about the sticky note questions), but we'll try to answer some of the ones that focus on Wonderopolis!
The very first Wonder of the Day® (we call that one "the Wonder that started it all!") was Wonder #1 - Why Are Flamingos Pink? Here is a link that will take you right to it: https://www.wonderopolis.org/wonder/pink-flamingos/.
The very first comment ever on Wonderopolis was written by a Wonder Friend named Carol. You can read it when you visit Wonder of the Day® #1 (it’s the very first comment in the comment section).
We search high and low for the best videos to accompany our Wonders! Sometimes we find the best videos on YouTube, but sometimes they might be found on Vimeo or another video library website.
Did you know that you can tell us what you’re WONDERing about anytime you like? Just click on the “nominate” link at the top of every page in Wonderopolis and fill in the boxes to share your ideas for future Wonders of the Day! It’s fun and easy to do! That’s how we get ideas for LOTS of our Wonders of the Day!
Thanks for being AWESOME Wonder Friends! You guys ROCK! :-)

Wonderopolis

Hannah Kwon

Apr 15, 2012

Hi, Wonderopolis! It was very interesting to here that a sticky note was developed by mistake. The more interesting fact is that Art Fry used this failure for a new invention. Before I read this article, I knew that someone made it by mistake and it first came out with a yellow color and a square shape. However I didn't know that a super-weak adhesive was a trash before Art Fry found where or how to use. I am wondering how the sticky note was successful by just changing a name Post-it Notes. Does renaming help success? Why?

Wonderopolis

Apr 15, 2012

Hi, Hannah! Thanks so much for exploring this Wonder and letting us know some more WONDERs you have about it! Sometimes changing a name to something more catchy or one that is more appealing to a broader group of people is just what a product needs to help it take off. But, sometimes changing the name of a product can do more harm than good, especially when manufacturers try to change a much-loved brand name! :-)

Wonderopolis

Emma

Mar 8, 2012

That video was so cool! We are doing rube goldberg machines in class, and I was thinking of using stickey notes and used them like slinky's! I hope the next wonder is about how people do yarn bombing!
Thanks!

Wonderopolis

Mar 8, 2012

We think your comment ROCKS, Emma! Thanks so much for suggesting a future Wonder about yarn bombing! We didn't even know what that was, so we WONDERed more about it and learned something new! Some of those yarn creations are AMAZING! :-)

Wonderopolis

crazy gurl

Feb 7, 2012

I love today's wonder. If I were in a crew like this, I would totally freak out. I would walk on Niagra Falls so really bad!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wonderopolis

Abby M.

Feb 7, 2012

Hey there, wonderopolis. I just got some sticky notes but they aren't exactly the right kind... but beggars can't be choosers!
P.S. I have a WONDERful idea for a wonder! Why is wonderopolis so AWESOME! :-)
Wonderopolis is like my favorite website EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If I were in the wonderopolis crew I would freak-out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :-)

Wonderopolis

Feb 7, 2012

Guess what, Abby? You ARE part of the Wonderopolis crew...all of our AWESOME Wonder Friends are! You guys help make Wonderopolis so amazing by visiting the Wonders of the Day, leaving us great comments to let us know what you liked and didn't like about each Wonder, and also telling us all the cool things you learned during your visits! YOU GUYS are ALL part of the Wonderopolis Crew and we appreciate you very much! :-)

AudreyG

Wonderopolis

Feb 4, 2012

Hello, Audrey! Thank you SO MUCH for sharing Wonderopolis with your brother! We think it's GREAT that you guys are learning together by exploring Wonders at home! We're not sure where the video was made, but it is SO COOL! We wish we could make sticky notes do all those AMAZING things! Maybe if we practice enough, we will be able to!
To answer your question, we usually get about 20-50 comments a day here in Wonderopolis. We have Wonder Friends all over the world who leave us awesome comments on many different Wonders each day! It's so great to hear from them! :-)

maci

Jan 31, 2012

I think that was a good idea to invent that because I love sticky notes. They are so fun to play with and mess with. You can use these sticky notes a lot to write down things and instead of using a long peace of paper then. That's why they invented sticky notes. Thanks to whoever invented them. I love them.

Hannah

Wonderopolis

Jan 24, 2012

The video was really cool, we agree, Hannah! We have been practicing with our own batch of sticky notes since we watched it for the first time (we keep watching it because it's AWESOME)! The people in the video inspired us to try some sticky note tricks! :-)

Abby M.

Wonderopolis

Jan 23, 2012

Hello, Abby! We think it's really awesome that you want some sticky notes now to build your own creations! The video for this Wonder has inspired so many Wonder Friends like you to give it a try! Be sure to let us know about the WONDERful things you make with your sticky notes when you get them! :-)

mirvad

Wonderopolis

Jan 20, 2012

We thought the video was a bunch of fun to watch, too, Mirvad! We WONDER how long it took the people in the video to perfect their sticky note production? Thanks for leaving us a great comment today! :-)

Rayden

Wonderopolis

Jan 20, 2012

Thanks so much for stopping by Wonderopolis today, Rayden! A new Wonder about planets sounds like a GREAT idea! Did you know there are already some past Wonders of the Day about PLANETS? Here are a few for you to check out (with links that will take you straight to them):
Wonder #68 - Is There Life On Other Planets? https://www.wonderopolis.org/wonder/is-there-life-on-other-planets/
Wonder #73 - Why Is Pluto No Longer a Planet? https://www.wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-is-pluto-no-longer-a-planet/
Wonder #215 - How Long Would It Take To Fly To Mars? https://www.wonderopolis.org/wonder/how-long-would-it-take-to-fly-to-mars/
Happy WONDERing! :-)

Eric

Wonderopolis

Jan 20, 2012

Hi, Eric! The Wonder Friends who think the next Wonder of the Day® is about cake are using the clue in the "Wonder what's next?" section of this Wonder! It says, "We hope you like dessert, because tomorrow’s Wonder of the Day really takes the cake!" :-)

Rayden

Wonderopolis

Jan 19, 2012

There are a few Wonder Friends who have guessed along the same lines as you, Rayden! We're getting so excited to see what tomorrow's Wonder will be about! It's always fun to wake up and head to Wonderopolis to explore a new, fun Wonder of the Day®! :-)

Mr.wonder

Wonderopolis

Jan 19, 2012

We'll have to see tomorrow, Mr. Wonder, but that is a really great guess! Did you know there are already two Wonders about soccer? Here they are with links that will take you right to them:
Wonder #389 - What Is a Hat Trick? https://www.wonderopolis.org/wonder/what-is-a-hat-trick/
Wonder #16 - How Old Is Soccer? https://www.wonderopolis.org/wonder/soccer-is-how-old/
Happy WONDERing! :-)

Mrs. Bork's Grade 5 Class

Jan 19, 2012

We try to follow Wonderopolis on a daily basis as part of our learning. It is great to explore something new everyday and make predictions about what will follow. It's amazing that we can learn so much about sticky notes! We think that tomorrow's Wonder of the Day will be about
why we make cakes for special occasions. Thanks for all the great topics in Wonderopolis!

Wonderopolis

Jan 19, 2012

Thanks so much for letting us know you enjoy visiting Wonderopolis and learning new things together, Mrs. Bork’s Grade 5 Class! We are PROUD to call you Wonder Friends! Have a WONDERful rest of the day! :-)

Wonderopolis

Alisha

Jan 19, 2012

Dear Wonderopolis,
This was a cool wonder! I did not know Dr. Spencer Silver invented post-it notes. Also, I did not know that post-it notes were made in 1980. I still wonder how many people use post-it notes? I think tomorrow's wonder will be about dessert.
Thank for the wonder
Alisha

Wonderopolis

Jan 19, 2012

We're so glad you learned some cool new facts about sticky notes by exploring today's Wonder, Alisha! We don't know how many people use sticky notes, but we know it is a LOT! Thanks so much for your comment today! :-)

YuGiOhNinja

Jan 19, 2012

Dear Wonderopolis,
Hello to the wonderers of the universe! Today's WONDER left me in quite a sticky situation, hehehe. It was pretty cool. I learned how sticky notes were made by accident and that a guy named after metal made them! Also, can you do a wonder of the day about wonders of the day. That would be WONDER-ful! Also you guys make such great wonders.
-YuGiOhNinja

lindsay

Wonderopolis

Jan 19, 2012

Hi there, Lindsay! A Wonder about hamsters is a GREAT idea! Have you visited Wonder of the Day® #225 (What Is a Chinchilla?) yet? You can visit here: https://www.wonderopolis.org/wonder/what-is-a-chinchilla/. Thanks so much for suggesting an idea for a future Wonder! :-)

Wonderopolis

katherine

Jan 12, 2014

I thought the video was cool, but it was wasteful and not good for the environment. Paper comes from trees and we need trees to live and think about all the animals... take a moment and think about my comment.

Wonderopolis

Jan 19, 2012

You guys are so SUPER for letting us know you liked today's Wonder and video about sticky notes, Mrs. Fisher’s Kindergarten Kids! We LOVED watching how inventive and creative the people in the video were with their sticky note extravaganza! :-)

Megan

Wonderopolis

Jan 19, 2012

Thanks for stopping by Wonderopolis today, Megan! Did you know there are already LOTS of Wonders about music? You can visit some (or all) of them by clicking on this link that will take you to the MUSIC-related Wonders Category: https://www.wonderopolis.org/category/music/. Happy WONDERing! :-)

Mrs. Johnson's Third Grade

Jan 19, 2012

Dear Wonderopolis,
Hi there! We thought this wonder was very interesting. We learned so much! We use sticky notes all the time in school. We keep track of our thinking when we are reading and of course, we use them as bookmarks too!
Mrs. Johnson's third grade

Wonderopolis

Jan 19, 2012

Those are both WONDERful ways to use sticky notes, Mrs. Johnson’s Third Grade! Thanks so much for checking out today's Wonder together and for letting us know you thought it was interesting...you guys are GREAT Wonder Friends! :-)

Morgan

Wonderopolis

Jan 19, 2012

What a super nice thing to say, Morgan! We're so happy when we get feedback from our Wonder Friends about the Wonders of the Day. Thank you for letting us know you enjoy visiting Wonderopolis and learning new things! :-)

Mrs. Phillips' WONDERful Class

Jan 19, 2012

That was a WONDERful video. We loved seeing what they did with sticky notes. Many of us now want sticky notes for our birthday, so we can make our own creations. The class also wants Mrs. Phillips to buy thousands of sticky notes so we can make creations during inside recess.

Wonderopolis

Jan 19, 2012

That sounds like SO MUCH fun, Mrs. Phillips’ WONDERful Class! You guys will have to keep us updated on your sticky note creations...we'd LOVE to see them! Thanks so much for visiting this Wonder and for WONDERing even more about what YOU can do with sticky notes! :-)